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Tybee Island Raising Beachfront Parking Rates

ATLANTA (AP/WAOK) – Visitors to Georgia’s largest public beach will soon have to pay more to park closest to the sand and surf.

Tybee Island’s City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to raise parking rates at its two beachfront parking lots from $1.50 to $2 per hour. City officials say the extra money is needed to help pay for keeping the beach clean and staffed with lifeguards.

Officials say the cost of a yearly parking decal for Tybee Island is also going up from $100 to $150. The change will take effect Monday.

City audits show parking fees and fines were worth $2.5 million to Tybee Island in fiscal 2011. That’s more money than the city collected in property taxes.